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By Lookout Staff

November 2, 2011 -- Barbara Stinchfield -- a leading force in shaping Santa Monica's public spaces -- announced she will be retiring for her post as the City's director of Community & Cultural Services (CCS) at the end of the year.

For 14 years, Stinchfield has headed one of the City's largest and most visible departments, managing an operating budget of $47 million and overseeing approximately 400 full- and part-time employees.

The department is charged with running recreational facilities, culture and arts programs, human services, funding for nonprofit grant programs, and public landscape.

"Barbara has been instrumental in more than a decade of improvements to the city's parks, open spaces and public facilities and has nurtured the growth of the city's human services and cultural arts programs," said City Manager Rod Gould.

"Her legacy is extensive and the impact of her leadership will be enjoyed by residents and visitors for decades to come."

Among Stinchfield's greatest accomplishments is overseeing the development and implementation of the city's first Parks & Recreation Master Plan, which included the transformation of what was left of Marion Davies' dilapidated estate into the highly-touted Annenberg Community Beach House.

Under Stinchfield's tenure, the department has "received numerous regional and national awards for design excellence in its high profile capital improvement projects and innovative community programming," City officials said in a statement.

"Working with this community has been the opportunity of a lifetime - to participate in the civic life of one of the most incredible cities in the country," Stinchfield said in a statement. "As I advanced through the organization, I marveled at what each opportunity gave to me and, in return, what I could give to the city."

"There is never an optimal time to leave," she added, "however, I am leaving at a time when some major project milestones have been achieved. I have every confidence that the projects, programs and services that are so valued by the community and the City Council will continue to be of the highest quality."

Stinchfield's last major task was overseeing a comprehensive public design process for two new parks in the heart of the Civic Center slated for construction next year.

Before becoming Director of the department in 1997, Stinchfield served the city as Human Services Grants Coordinator, Manager of Community and Neighborhood Services and Assistant Director of CCS.

Stinchfield has served on the National Board of Trustees of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Human Services Officials and has professional affiliations including the American Society of Landscape Architects, the City Parks Alliance and the California Preservation Foundation.